try
by fu-yuzoras
Summary: they don't love each other, but have to be together for the sake of their son. [akakuro family au]


**warning! implied past mpreg.**

 **knb © fujimaki tadatoshi**

* * *

Tetsuya closed his laptop with a sigh of relief.

The deadline for his soon-to-be published novel was nearing, and he'd already finished the climax of the story, which meant that he'd get the break he'd been seeking for the past months in anytime soon. A break equaled more resting time, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of a long vacation with his little family. If his husband could take a break from his duties at the company, that's it.

As he made his way towards the kitchen to grab a drink, he heard the rustling sound from the entrance, light footsteps resonating throughout the house after, as a loud, cheery voice called out to him, "Papa! I'm home!"

A shock of red came into his vision as his five year old son, Seiji, ran frantically into the kitchen with a familiar wide, toothy smile. Tetsuya bent down to catch the boy into his arms, "Hey, my little boy. Had a good day?"

Seiji loosened his hug to look at him with a grin. He was only five, but he was already handsome with his fiery red hair and a pair of sky blue eyes he'd got from both of his parents respectively. He started his story of the day, and Tetsuya listened to him with a soft smile as he led him to their room. Apparently, Seiji had drawn a portrait of their little family today, and had received a bunch of compliments from his teacher and his classmates. He couldn't wait to put it up on the fridge and show it to his _Otou-san_ to see his proud smile. After all, Seiji had also gotten a similar trait as Tetsuya's: always wanting to get Seijuurou's approval and acknowledgement.

"Go change and we'll eat lunch after that." Tetsuya told him as they stepped into their room that was located in the second floor. Seiji was still sleeping in the same room as him because Tetsuya and Seijuurou hadn't prepared for his own room yet. He put Seiji's clothes on the bed, "Change quickly, alright? And be careful when you walk downstairs. Don't run. I think I heard someone coming." he pinched the boy's cheek lightly, "Papa will come to the dining room afterwards."

Seiji smiled up at him, "Yes, Papa!"

Tetsuya went out of their room, walking down the stairs towards the front door. He was a bit surprised to see his husband smile tiredly at him when he opened the door; his husband was usually home by 6 p.m.—or later than that, and it was only 11 a.m.

Tetsuya looked at him in silence as he approached him.

"You're early." he said then, taking the briefcase from the other, "Something happened?"

"I'll talk about it later. Where is Seiji?"

"He's upstairs."

Akashi Seijuurou was the man he'd married to six years ago. Who would guess that there was no love behind that marriage. A marriage that _had to_ happen because Seiji was _accidentally_ sent to them by God—a marriage that'd happened because of their wrongdoing on a fateful night on December. But, that didn't mean that they loved Seiji less; he was an angel who'd made their lives bright again despite the forced marriage they had to go through. And they were forever thankful of Seiji's existence. Even so, the six years they'd spent together under the same roofs, eating the same food, taking care of their lovely son together since he was born up until now, and all, couldn't make the relationship bloom into something more. They even slept in the different rooms, and would have a casual talk only when Seiji was present—would talk alone only when something serious came up.

Tetsuya was, truthfully, tired of that kind of relationship, but he didn't want to get them to divorce either. It was better than having to remarry and start anew, really. Besides, he couldn't just separate the father and the son so cruelly, right?

—

"Papa, why does _Otou-san_ never sleep on time? Come on, Papa, ask him to sleep early tonight. With us." Seiji whined, tugging onto his shirt with a pout. He was done brushing his teeth, and was already in his panda printed pajama, ready for bed. Tetsuya stopped washing his face to look down at his son.

"Seiji, _Otou-san_ is busy doing his work." he explained as softly as possible. But, Seiji's pout hadn't disappeared.

"Poor _Otou-san_. Why is he always working?"

Tetsuya tried to find the right words to make his son give up, and go to sleep without persuading him to ask for the three of them to sleep together on the same bed. _It was hard_!

"Seiji, my boy, your _Otou-san_ is very busy." Tetsuya's voice was softer than before, "Besides, after you sleep, a few hours later he'll come and sleep beside you."

He was lying, of course. It never happened. Even until the sun was up, Seijuurou never came to their room and slept with them. That was the sad truth.

He didn't realize that Seiji had ran off to Seijuurou's room.

"Seiji," he called out, but the owner of the name was nowhere to been, making him sigh exasperatedly, "Why is he so stubborn…"

Tetsuya dried his face with a towel as he exited the bathroom. And, oh, his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he witnessed the scene presented before him—Seijuurou was dragged by an excited Seiji into their room and was forced to lie down on the bed. Tetsuya tried to regain back his composure and gave Seijuurou a helpless smile before he walked to the other side of the bed.

"Papa, come here!" Seiji said happily, patting the empty side beside him.

Tetsuya visibly winced, "…of course."

"Yay! Sleeping with _Otou-san_ and Papa tonight!"

Tetsuya took a glance at Seijuurou who was already looking at him, nodding with a gentle smile. He sighed softly and lied down beside Seiji, only to get surprised when his son took his hand suddenly, clasping it together with Seijuurou's slightly bigger one, before placing them on his tummy.

"Good night, Papa, _Otou-san."_

"Good night, boy. Have a nice dream."

"Good night, Seiji."

After what seemed like about forty minutes later, Tetsuya felt that Seiji's small hands were no longer holding his and Seijuurou's hand tightly, meaning that Seiji was already deep in his sleep. He turned his head to check on Seiji's sleeping figure, and his action didn't go unnoticed by Seijuurou.

"He's really sleeping, Tetsuya," Seijuurou said helpfully, "Can we talk outside? There's something I want to inform you about."

Tetsuya only nodded mutely, slowly taking his hand away from his son's loosening grasp, with Seijuurou doing the same thing. They left their son who was by now sleeping soundly in the room, and made a beeline to the small swimming pool at the back of their house—the swimming pool Seiji would spend his time at during weekends. They sat there—at the edge of it, plunging their feet into the water. It was a chilly night, yet that didn't stop them from doing so.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tetsuya started, his feet playing with the water.

Seijuurou silently watched him before he looked up, staring into the night sky. "It was about yesterday. When I came home early." he vaguely said.

"Yeah," Tetsuya looked at him and tilted his head to the side, confused, "Did something bad happen?"

"The opposite, actually." Seijuurou stared back at him, "It's something good for me and Seiji. But, I don't know if you'd feel the same."

Tetsuya was becoming more confused, "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Seijuurou said, "We're going to go to Tokyo next week." his voice almost sounded hesitate, "But, don't worry, only for a few days. It's only a short trip – consider it as your vacation. We're not going to live there."

" _We?_ " Tetsuya felt like there was a lump in his throat.

He didn't want this, really, going back to the country he'd grown up at. Sure, he'd missed his parents and his friends in Japan, but that alone wasn't enough to convince to go back. He was already contented living aboard with Seiji and Seijuurou. Something about a bitter past had made him hate going back to Japan. And, especially, Tokyo. Seijuurou knew that.

"You don't want to go, right?" Seijuurou, sensing Tetsuya's sudden changes of mood, said. It wasn't a question. It was more like a statement, as though he knew what was on Tetsuya's mind. As always. "But this is a request from my father and your parents. They missed their grandson and wanted him to know about the place his parents ever lived in. His home country."

Tetsuya sighed deeply, "I can't say no, can I?"

Seijuurou's lips moved upwards, "Of course. Don't be sad, Tetsuya." he reached for Tetsuya's face, cupping it with his hands, caressing it gently. "You know, you don't actually have to go out during our stay. We can request for our parents to meet up at the hotel instead."

"But it'll be very rude."

"That's not the point here."

Tetsuya smiled because it was right; he could just stay at the hotel, why did he have to make a big deal of it?

"You're right, Seijuurou-kun." Tetsuya's smile hadn't left his face.

Seijuurou smirked, "As I always am."

—

"Seiji is still sleeping?" Tetsuya glanced at the sleeping Seiji in Seijuurou's arms.

"Yeah. There was nothing much he could do on the plane besides sleeping, after all." Seijuurou replied, smiling a little.

A week flew by too fast, and they'd already arrived at Tokyo and the hotel they'd be staying at for the time being. Seiji was already excused from his school for family matters.

Tetsuya opened the door of the suite room, dragging the suitcase inside with him. Seijuurou followed quietly behind as he didn't want to wake Seiji, and went straight to the bed to put him there. After carefully tucking Seiji under the covers, he sat at the edge of the bed with a sigh escaping his lips—feeling exhausted having to be on the plane for hours. He sneaked a glance at the blunette who was now sitting on the floor, quickly opening their suitcase to put their clothes inside the closet in the room.

"Aren't you tired, Tetsuya?" Seijuurou asked with genuine curiosity as he stretched his hands.

"I am," Tetsuya answered simply, "But I think it'll be gone after I take a cold shower later."

Seijuurou nodded in understanding as he lay beside Seiji. He put his hands under his head, trying to get some shut eye, but for some reason he couldn't. He openly stared at Tetsuya, who was still busy arranging their clothes, again.

 _He's really kind_ , Seijuurou thought. Sometimes, he would just stare at Tetsuya without saying anything. They didn't love each other—yet, and the word 'divorce' had never crossed his mind at all. It was strangely hurt thinking a life without Tetsuya.

Looking back at the white ceilings, Seijuurou decided to call it a day and closed his eyes. His body was far too tired to even think.

—

"Before you come back, buy Seiji's usual snacks, alright? His snacks are running out. You won't want to see an angry Seiji without his snacks." Tetsuya exclaimed, rummaging through his bag to find Seiji's daily snacks, only to find none.

"Alright." Seijuurou replied, buttoning up his shirt. "Even I can't control an angry Seiji."

"I'm sorry for troubling you," Tetsuya stood up and walked towards Seijuurou who was busy with his red shirt. He took the black tie that was lying on the bed, putting it on around Seijuurou's neck, helping him to get it done. "This is much better."

"Thank you." Seijuurou said with a smile, drawing Tetsuya close to him to plant a chaste kiss on his forehead. "Take this as a thanks."

"You never did that before, Seijuurou-kun." Tetsuya chuckled, still in Seijuurou's arms, as he playfully punched his shoulder. "What's happening to you all of a sudden, huh."

"Nothing." Seijuurou shook his head, touching the tip of Tetsuya's nose with his index finger. Trying to tease him.

"Oh, Seiji." Tetsuya freed himself from Seijuurou's hold, running to the still sleeping Seiji, as well as running away from Seijuurou because his heart was thumping dangerously in his chest.

"I'm off." Seijuurou waved at him with a smile on his face, taking his briefcase with him, and walked off.

Tetsuya waved back at him before he got up to eat the breakfast the hotel had prepared on the table. A small smile adorned on his face—he was happy because of Seijuurou's actions. At least they were acting like other married couples; a kiss on the forehead and exchanged smiles before going to work. Perhaps, this was the first step they should take to change their relationship. Not as the parents of the child they were raising—perhaps... something more than that? And, perhaps, this was the right time for him to open up his heart again for another guy—for his husband, Seijuurou.

—

"Alright, we should go out. Seems like Seiji is bored staying in the hotel all the time." Tetsuya said, trying to put a smile on his face, as he ran a hand through Seiji's hair, who was playing games on Seijuurou's phone.

Seijuurou noticed the slight waver in Tetsuya's voice, but he decided to not question it. "If that's what you want."

—

The three of them were walking down the bustling, crowdy street in Tokyo in the third day of their stay, breathing in the scent of the baked breads from the small shop they passed by, enjoying the busy night while relishing the familiar feelings in their chests after being away from Tokyo for so long.

Seijuurou held a happy Seiji in his arms, while Tetsuya was clinging on to his side, clutching on to his right hand tightly. It was a rare sight, indeed. They barely even talked to each other when Seiji wasn't around just about two weeks ago. Things surely got escalated too quickly. But, none of them seemed to be uncomfortable with it. In fact, they kind of enjoyed it.

Seiji looked so happy. And both Seijuurou and Tetsuya couldn't ask for more.

Not until a certain someone walked into the picture.

Tetsuya stopped in his tracks, staring at a tall, blonde guy walking towards their direction, eyes widened. Seijuurou, who was in the middle of telling Seiji about his famous basketball team when he lived in Japan, stopped walking as well.

"Seijuurou-kun, can we turn around?" Tetsuya whispered, but audible enough for Seijuurou to hear.

"Why?" Seijuurou asked, following Tetsuya's line of sight. And when he did, he quickly understood. He leaned in to the other to whisper back, "You can do it, Tetsuya, don't be like this. I'm here, remember?"

Tetsuya looked up at Seijuurou to see his gentle, encouraging smile, and he smiled, too. He nodded slightly, trusting Seijuurou's words, tightening his grip on him and continued walking again.

"Kurokocchi?!" the blonde greeted him in surprise when they were about to run into each other.

"Oh, hello, Kise-kun." Tetsuya pretended to be surprised as well.

Kise couldn't believe his eyes. He saw the blunette whom he hadn't heard of for years, clinging on to a red-haired man who looked as if he was ready to kill him, with a small redhead in his arms. The smile on Tetsuya's face looked forced, even though he didn't sense it. Instead, he smiled back.

"Long time no see, Kurokocchi!"

Tetsuya could only look at Seijuurou and Kise back and forth, suddenly become aware of the heavy aura Seijuurou was emitting. Really, he wanted to run away as far as he could, before the ghost of his past started to haunt him all night again. The man was none other than his ex, who used to be a very popular idol and now? He didn't know and wouldn't want to know.

"Kurokocchi, they are—"

"My husband and son," Tetsuya cut him off quickly, trying to ignore Kise's dumbfounded expression.

"What is his name?" Kise tried to ask again.

"Akashi Seiji." Tetsuya answered quietly, "Seiji, say hello to Kise-san."

"Hello."

Seijuurou suddenly tugged on his hand, "Tetsuya, let's go. Seiji and I are starving," he said then, with a smile that seemingly wouldn't want a no as a reply. Tetsuya couldn't help but smile at that.

"Alright. We're going first, Kise-kun."

—

After they ate dinner in a sushi restaurant they could find in the town, they quickly went back to the hotel, the three of them were equally tired, but nonetheless, happy. Seijuurou put Seiji, who was already sleeping on their way back, on the bed. He then looked around and frown when he couldn't find Tetsuya anywhere. Was he in the bathroom? Or was he outside?

His thoughts soon came to a halt when he saw Tetsuya standing on the balcony while hugging himself. He unconsciously smiled as he walked over to where he was, positioning himself beside Tetsuya as he leaned against the hard fence, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Tetsuya." he said.

Tetsuya nodded without looking at him, "Seijuurou-kun."

A brief comfortable silence passed between them. Seijuurou decided to break it first, "What's with you, huh? About the sudden meeting with him?"

Tetsuya took a deep breath, "Yeah. You know it."

Seijuurou was suddenly taking a hold of Tetsuya's shoulders, turning him around so that they were facing each other, forcing his eyes to meet his. Both of them were trying to find something there; something that'd never been found in their eyes—the love that'd never been born all this time.

"Forget about your past." Seijuurou started in a serious tone, "Forget that you've ever been in a relationship with that actor or whatsoever. Forget that his fans had harassed you multiple times, or how he was never there when you needed him the most. Forget it, Tetsuya. Now, you have Seiji and... _me._ So, just forget him."

Tetsuya's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't believe he would hear that from Seijuurou. Sure, he sometimes imagined something similar to this when he was bored or tired of his life. But, this was real. Not just his imagination. He could feel it. He could even feel Seijuurou's thumb gently wiping off the tears he didn't realize falling down his cheeks.

"What's with you, huh." Tetsuya said teasingly, despite the strange feeling bubbling up inside of him.

"No, really. Just want to try to be a _real_ husband." Seijuurou shrugged with his trademark smirk.

Tetsuya raised an eyebrow in confusion. But, when he sunk in Seijuurou's words to his head, he started chuckling then, and Seijuurou didn't find it amusing. At all.

"Why are you laughing? I'm merely stating the fact." Seijuurou narrowed his eyes, "Just try, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya tried to hold back his laughter. "If so, I'll also try to be a _real_ husband for you then."

Seijuurou smiled, slowly closing the gap between them, surprising the other. But, Tetsuya didn't back away and threw all his common sense, instead, he shut his eyes close. Not even two seconds later, he felt something soft pressed against his lips. Only a few seconds, but Seijuurou's lips had left a big impact on him that he yearned for more, as he felt his heart pounding violently in his chest.

"Just try, Tetsuya," Seijuurou murmured before he leaned back for another kiss.

Tetsuya could only smile into the kiss, "Yeah, I know."

* * *

[16.12.20, happy birthday, tetsuya's bae~ may you be happy with tetsuya forever and ever!]


End file.
